Fun, Simple Three Kings’ Day Craft for Kids!

While the holidays may be over for many of you, in many Latino households (including ours) we’re anxiously awaiting for Three Kings’ Day (El Día de Los Tres Reyes Magos)! Always celebrated on January 6th, Three Kings’ Day honors the journey of The Three Wise Men to meet Jesus. It’s a special holiday, one I’m happy to share with my own children so they can learn about the Three Kings’ Day traditions with which I grew up.

Last year, I showed you how to make your own DIY Three Kings’ Day Baskets so your kids could collect grass for the camels on the night before Three Kings’ Day. Wishing to expand on the story of Los Tres Reyes Magos, this year the kids and I made a simple Three Kings’ Day craft to learn more about the Star of Bethlehem and the Three Kings’ journey. Check out this easy Three Kings’ Day craft for kids that even toddlers and preschoolers can help make, so they too can enjoy the traditions of Three Kings’ Day!

Three Kings’ Day Craft for Kids

The idea of our Three Kings’ Day craft was simple: we wanted to recreate a scene from the Three Kings’ journey and learn more about the Star of Bethlehem, which the Three Kings followed to find their way to Jesus. My nine-year-old daughter came up with a simple way to depict the Star of Bethlehem using wooden craft sticks and we also decided to add a felt camel to complete the scene. It’s a simple Three Kings’ Day craft, but it worked perfectly for her four-year-old brother and allowed us to talk about two important symbols in the story of The Three Wise Men. Here’s how you can make your own using craft supplies you can find at your local Walmart!

Materials Needed:

• Camel illustration (optional)
• Felt sheet, tan or light brown – We found a multi-pack of adhesive felt sheets for under $5 in our Walmart store!
• Poster board
• 5 wooden craft sticks in a color of your choice – yellow works well!
• Glue – I found wood glue worked best for the craft sticks!
• Scissors
• Pencil

How to Make a Simple Three Kings’ Day Craft with Kids

1. Using a printed camel illustration, cut out the shape of the camel. (You could also draw your own camel on a blank piece of paper to cut out.)
2. Trace your camel shape onto the felt sheet, making sure you trace it backwards if you’re using felt with an adhesive back like we did.
3. Cut out your felt camel and glue onto the poster board or attach with the adhesive (if your felt has an adhesive back).
4. To make the Star of Bethlehem, line up two of your craft sticks in a vertical line, overlapping them a bit. Glue them together and onto your poster board. Then, glue two more craft sticks in an X shape over your vertical line. Finally, glue a third craft stick horizontally across to complete an eight-point star.

That’s it! It’s so simple to make this Three Kings’ Day craft with your kids and I love that my preschooler needed little help with it! It was great to talk with them about how the Three Kings rode on camels and followed the Star of Bethlehem as they made their way to meet baby Jesus. We also talked about how my family celebrated Three Kings’ Day in Puerto Rico and how we continue to honor our Three Kings’ Day traditions. It’s amazing how a fun craft can spark a wonderful conversation and learning opportunity!

More Ideas for Celebrating Three Kings’ Day with Kids

Try these additional ways to have fun for Three Kings’ Day and check out our page with even more ideas for celebrating Three Kings’ Day with kids!

1. Make a Three Kings’ Day shoe box basket for collecting the camels’ grass!
2. Enjoy a hot cup of Mexican hot chocolate while reading a story.
3. Make alfajores with your kids – delicious dulce de leche sandwich cookies!
4. Let the kids make this festive Three Kings’ Day crown craft.
5. Try making these Three Kings wooden magnets for a cute decoration!
6. Show your kids how to make a Three Kings’ Day grass box!

What are some of your family’s Three Kings’ Day traditions?

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™